Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-04-02 | Page 3 | Lady from Montana Reaches Capital

LI FROM 111 REACHES CAPITAL Refuses to Tell Her Plans, but Will Vote for Leader Lead-er Mann for Speaker. By International News Service. WASHINGTON", April 1. Miss Jean-net Jean-net te Rankin, the first American congress con-gress woman and one of the two voices of the sreat state of Montana in the house of representatives, arrived in Washing ton today unheralded and quietly quiet-ly went to the apartment leased for her, where she absolutely refused to talk. Of course, Miss Rankin was not discourteous. dis-courteous. She did talk, but she did not "talk" as newspaper reporters understand the word. She did not tell the women reporters re-porters who hovered around her in her pretty si t ting- room in the St. Nicholas apartment anything really worth while. "1 have so much to learn that I don't know what to say." she answered. "What's more important, I don't know what not to say. don't know what I'm going to do exactly as yet. I am going to put in all my spare time learning the ropes just now. "That's why I have decided not to say-any say-any thing just now. No, I don't know what I'm going to stand for, and that is what so many have asked me; you will have to wait and see." It may be said In passing that the war in Europe and President Wilson's call for an extraordinary session of congress con-gress seriously interfered with Miss Rankin's Ran-kin's plans. Phe had made a number of spea king engagements and was well booked when she received a telegram calling her to her seat in congress, beginning be-ginning at noon tomorrow. The fmposlng list of engagements kept Miss Rankin from participation In the Republican caucus; likewise. It permitted the Republican congressmen to smoke as much as they pleased and to fuss a little lit-tle if they felt tike it when Representative Representa-tive Gussie Ga rdner bolted. Miss Rankin Ran-kin de!a yod until the la.st day before she made the journey to the capital. She has kept in touch wit h affairs, however, and her two competent and it Is not secret extremely pretty secretaries secre-taries have learned all the ins and outs and short cuis of the capitol already. So Mips Rankin will not be proceeding as blindly as some of the less prepared mere men who were elected last November. Miss Rankin will be regular on her first vote. She will cast it for the Republican Repub-lican caucus nominee, James R. Mann of Chicago, for speaker of the house. What committees she will be assigned to remains to be seen. Education seems likely to be one to which she will aspire.